Loading ...Niche Blogging - then What are You Searching For?
Jan 18th, 2008 by Felix Alaita
Confusing title right? Well just hold on a second and I’ll explain. Most of us understand what a niche is right and how that translates to niche blogging? Now how many of us actually knew what we wanted to blog about when we started? Were you able to find a niche that best describes all your yearnings to be heard? Could you put all your ideas under just one niche. I couldn’t. I just knew I loved writing, especially poetry. So when I came upon blogging I’d found an outlet for my voice.
Then What’s the Bru-ha-ha?
If you got into blogging through one of the big Make Money Online Blogging or some other extremely monetized blog, you’d probably derail before you even realise it. Yes our innate desire is to make some form of income in what we do but, I must confess the infomation on making money online tends to get overwhelmingly confusing and sometimes you forget why you even started blogging in the first place “TO GET YOUR VOICE HEARD” from you keyboard. And then there’s the almighty NICHE thingy they keep talking about…what is that? Isn’t Weblogging supposed to be like diaries where you write whatever you feel like and fine if someone discovers your blog and decides to be a daily reader. I fear the deviation is very high. What do you think?
The idea for this post came to me when I read Reward Rebel’s post. It brought to my mind these questions which I’ve decided to put in my original talent if you may to see what the general understanding of niche blogging is and more. Looking forward to your answers, A lot of questions but at least answer the last one. Here goes:
What are you searching for?
When you browse the worldwideweb, or put up your picture on a social site
What’s your innate desire?
When you come online and see “you’ve got mail”
What do hope you hope you would acquire?
When you leave the comforts of your office/home/hotspot and the internet
What do you wish your ramblings online could into-transpire?
As you Blog hop daily, dropping your entrecard and acquiring all that creds
What do you hope to do with them?
When you leave a comment on another blog joining in the conversation in dread
What do you expect from your effort there?
But mostly, when you try to make a new friend online or met someone for real,
Where do you hope the encounter would lead?
What are you searching for…
From society and your need for existence?
Need to let your voice out?
Need to leave a mark?
Need to be loved or just wanted?
Need to be relevant in this multitude?
Need to to be part of something great or small?
Need for some income?
Need to be free?
Could I be of assistance?
Wah, There’s a lot to this so I’m gonna just try to do a catchall comment. Maybe.
As for niche blogging, sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who doesn’t think about that. I have no idea what my niche is. Everything? Nothing? I can’t give it a name because then I’m limiting myself.
I need to be able to write about anything I want. Whatever comes to my mind or has my interest at any given time. Instead of starting a million different blogs on a million different things I have just one blog on everything. (Well, I have one blog and one livejournal - but whatever).
As for the questions, lemme see…
What am I searching for? I’m not sure, but I think in general I’m searching for people with similar interests as me. Some of my interests aren’t exactly mainstream (jrock, cirque du soleil, whatever) so offline it can be difficult to find people to talk to about these things.
Internet gives me a chance to find people from all over the world who like the same things I do. I get a chance to discuss things and share information with others who KNOW what I’m talking about.
And sometimes these online friends can turn into ‘real life’ friends.
When it comes to blog hopping I’m usually looking for: information, entertainment, or something I can relate to. “How To” blogs are nice when looking for info but after awhile they all start to repeat the same things. Personal blogs are nice because I can relate to them. I can say things like “Ah, yeah I love doing that too blahblah” or “Ne, you’re so lucky, I’ve always wanted to do that….”.
And for the final set, I’d have to go with “Need to let your voice out.” In real life I’m very shy and very quiet. I have my moments where I’m a chatty batty but most of the time at school I’m very quiet. And I spend a lot of time at home, so not much socializing there.
Sometimes I have nothing to say, sometimes I’m just too shy to say it. And other times, when I DO say something either no one hears me or no one really cares. So the discussion goes no where.
Online I get the chance to just say whatever I want to say. It doesn’t matter if it’s random, crazy or if it’s a 3 month old topic. I can just get it out. Someone might respond, or no one may respond - but I don’t have to keep it locked inside.
So um.. yeah. Sorry for the mile long comment.
Wow Tokio, I think you just won COMMENT OF THE YEAR AWARD!
Your comment is even as long as my post and totally honest too. YOUR PRIZE? A PERMANENT SPOT ON MY SIDEBAR! Thanks for your comment.
Ah, lol thanks XD I didn’t realize how long it was until it posted and I got a look at it. I was like “Jeez, he’s not going to want to read all this.” I had expected that my answer would be quick and short but apparently I can’t stop myself. lol.
Welll…. I dont blog! but then it all goes beyond blogging dosen’t it? its about what you really want out of life. So natuarlly i would go with the option of “wanting to make my mark”. I have this strong believe that there is no one who can do what I was created to do as well as I would do it. so there! In my mind i already have my niche. In essence this is what I mean….
Anyone who does everything does not really have something that they really want to do. With blogging i know its not that easy because sometimes the “something” that you are meant to do gets dried up and when there is pressure to keeps things going, we sort of ‘veer off’ into other things. My advice?….. Find your niche from within you. If you do, it gets hard to dry it up. I have never bothered much about my voice being heard, hmmm… i would like to be loved, and its good to be part of something (especially something brilliant) but most of all I crave to leave a mark! Case in point; this comment I am leaving… I am just trying to leave a mark on my friend’s blog! sometimes i go back to the things I have written and I cant believe i wrote it.
So you see… before i seek to inspire someone else, I inspire myself.
…Vainglorious and conceited” some would say but then (she shrugs) I have found my niche!
I think I was lucky ‘cuz my niche was a real natural for me and I really didn’t have to think about it or “find” a niche.
Food for thought here. Maybe the only thing I do not look for on my blog is making money - although the thought has occurred to me to set up another blog to see if I could make a go of it. I can’t really whip up the enthusiasm for it though.